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As the world deals with the COVID-19 outbreak with rules of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, nature and its beauty continue to thrive and captivate us. Take a look at these stunning images of California’s massive wildflower orange poppy super bloom. By Upasana Singh
Each spring, vast quantities of flowers bloom in the USA’s Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. While the valley is home to hundreds of wildflowers, the star of the show is the California poppy, the state flower that spans over 1,700 acres. During this season, visitors flock the destination to witness the breathtaking scenery. Although it is not possible to currently do so as the reserve has been temporarily closed due to the global pandemic, thanks to NASA, views of the super bloom of the orange poppy fields have been captured from space.
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The American space agency has released a series of beautiful images of the wildflowers that have bloomed on such a massive scale that they are visible from space. Sharing the images on their Earth Observatory website, NASA stated that they were captured on April 14 by Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite. As the poppy fields are located close to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, the images were taken just at the right time, when the flowers were thought to be at or near their peak.
After months of drought, Southern California received significant rainfall in March and April that helped the poppy fields of the Antelope Valley bloom. Because of this, the 2020 super bloom is particularly special as the flowers are expected to last longer than usual. On Facebook, NASA posted, “Depending on the day or even hour, the orange patches may change in appearance. The poppies open their petals during sunny periods, appearing like a large blanket over the landscape.”
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While the colour of the California poppies makes them easy to spot from space, one can also see the fields blooming with cream cups, forget-me-nots, purple bush lupines, and yellow goldfields.
Located near the Mojave Desert, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is also offering a virtual tour for viewers during the lockdown. So, if you wish to bring a little bit of spring to your home, tune in to the live stream and see the vibrant blooms live from the comfort of your couch.
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